Undefinable
by Kishiro Kitsune
Summary: High School AU. Lance likes Hunk. Hunk likes Lance. There should really be no problem there, except neither of them thinks the other knows they exist. Keith and Pidge just want their dumb friends to be happy but that won't happen unless they can get them to talk.
1. Chapter 1

**Undefinable**

Chapter 1

Lance sighed dreamily for the fifth time since he sat down, his eyes focused on the back corner of the classroom. "How do you think he gets his hair to look so nice?"

His best friend, Katie "Pidge" Holt, arched an eyebrow as she raised her eyes to look at him. "Good conditioner? I don't know. Do you think you could focus on our assignment and _not_ on how nice your boyfriend looks today?"

"He's not-! We're not-!" Lance moaned in despair and dropped his head onto the table they shared, never noticing the odd looks of their fellow classmates. " _Piiiiiidge,_ " he whined, drawing out her name.

Pidge rolled her eyes. "Everyone's staring at you."

"Is he looking too? NO! Don't look!"

Pidge had just started to twist around and look at the back corner, where the subject of Lance's affections sat, when her friend frantically grabbed at her arm a little more tightly than she liked. "Lance, _seriously?_ " She pulled her arm away and ignored his whining as she turned to the desk behind her, where Allura and Shay were quietly chatting as they filled out their worksheets. "Save me."

"I offered my input at the start of the year, but you ignored it," Allura said, looking amused. Her lilting accent gave her words a more playful tone than she'd probably intended. "You could have partnered with Keith instead."

"I can't imagine a situation that could go more wrong than that," Pidge deadpanned.

"So you say," Allura said lightly.

Under the guise of continuing their conversation, Pidge was able to look in the back corner without giving Lance a heart attack. There were two boys there, one of whom was Hunk, who sat with his back facing them. The other was Keith, who glanced up in time to notice her eyes on him. He winked at her before going back to his work.

Pidge swore if _anyone_ else saw that, she was going to kill him.

Lucky for Keith, Mr. Coran picked that moment to re-enter the room and call the class back to attention. Chatter died down and everyone faced the front so they could review the worksheet together.

Pidge scrawled a quick note to Lance, and the moment Mr. Coran turned his back to the class, she tossed it forward over his shoulder and was pleased when it landed on his desk.

 _You're fine. Hunk wasn't looking._

She could see his sigh of relief.

Sometimes she really didn't understand Lance. A pretty girl could cross his path and he'd have no problem chatting her up, but the moment he laid eyes on Hunk it was like someone hit the 'off' switch in his brain. Maybe it was a mark of how strong his feelings were for the other boy. Still, it was unusual to see him trying to _avoid_ attracting attention.

Pidge narrowed her eyes at the back of his head. She'd hoped he would figure it out on his own, but it was starting to look like she'd have to lend a helping hand after all.

.

* * *

.

"Are you sure you don't want a ride?" Lance asked her for the third time that day.

"It's fine," Pidge replied. "Shiro's picking us up today. He and Matt got home from college last night." She shut her locker door to reveal him staring at her with blatant disapproval. _"What?"_

"Dude, this is the last night I've got the car before my sister gets home and uses it all the time! It's our last day of freedom!" Lance exclaimed. "C'mon, Pidge, I know you've missed Shiro, but you don't _really_ want to ride home with mullet-boy, do you?"

The pair began their walk down the hall towards the main doors, easily moving along with the crowd also heading in the same direction.

"Well, if I hurry I can get the passenger seat and watch him sulk the whole drive." She could almost see the internal battle waging in his mind. "Besides that, tonight's the big welcome home dinner for them. I can't miss it."

"Oh man, I forgot about that," Lance groaned. "That's so lame. I can't believe you have to spend the whole evening with _Keith._ "

"Yeah. The things I do for family," Pidge muttered as they stepped outside. She blinked her eyes against the brightness of the sun, but didn't stop moving or else get jostled by everyone behind her. It didn't take long before she was able to look around, and when she did she quickly spotted a familiar black SUV parked along the road. She smiled at the prospect of seeing her friend for the first time in five months.

Lance caught sight of her expression and grinned knowingly. "Oh, alright. I see. For 'family'. I think you mean for _Shiro_."

"First of all, no," Pidge said in her most no-nonsense tone. "Second of all, Allura can bench press, like, three of me, so no _._ Third of all, why are we having this conversation _again_?"

"Uh, cuz you've been smiling all day, duh," Lance said, holding up one finger. "And then there's the way you say his name. ' _Oh, Shiro!'_ " His voice went high in falsetto. Ignoring her heated glare, Lance continued ticking off each of his points using his fingers. "You don't care that you have to spend hours with mullet. Actually, you haven't insulted him once today. Then there's-!"

Pidge turned her back and started to walk away, giving him a single warning. "Lance, I'm leaving now."

"So hi to your boyyyyfriend for me!"

"I will come back and punch you!"

"Love you too, Pigeon!" Lance blew her a kiss for good measure, laughing when she turned and flipped him off.

After that, she ignored him, hurrying to Shiro's SUV. She paused in her approach to the passenger door when she spotted an unexpected person sitting there, and then moved for the back door. She pulled open the door and slid into the backseat with a moody huff.

"Good day at school?" Shiro asked, sounding amused.

Pidge's response was to groan loudly and drop her head in her hands. Next to her, Keith chucked. Up in the front seat, Allura did her best to keep her composure and not laugh.

"Shut up, Keith," Pidge mumbled.

"I haven't even said anything!"

"You don't need to. I know what you're thinking."

Shiro cleared his throat, interrupting the impending argument. "Seat belts!" He didn't shift the car into drive until he heard several seat belts click into place and only then were they on their way.

For a few minutes, things were peaceful. Allura and Shiro subtly flirted their way through casual conversation. Keith and Pidge sat in relative silent in the back. And then...

"My best friend is dumber than your best friend."

Pidge snorted. "Yeah right. Today, Lance spent all of Chemistry talking about how nice Hunk's hair looks."

"Hunk nearly had a breakdown thinking about how blue Lance's eyes are," Keith countered.

"Lance has started writing poetry detailing all of the finer qualities Hunk possesses. Which is a lot, apparently."

"Oh, he's only now reached the poetry stage? Hunk was there two months ago. He's now in the stage of _today's-the-day-I-tell-him-how-I-feel-oops-no-it-isn't_."

"That's nothing. Lance has been through that about six different times this year." Some of Pidge's humor about the situation faded away. "This is crazy, Keith. We've got to come up with a plan, because I can't take much more of this."

"Maybe we should just shove them in a room together and not let them out until they admit their feelings?" Keith suggested. "Or you could just tell Lance that Hunk likes him back."

Shiro began to brake in preparation for stopping at a red light.

Pidge dismissed the idea with an audible scoff. "Just how do you propose I explain how I know that? Because Lance will be over the moon for about five seconds before he starts to doubt it, and then he'll ask: 'Pidge, how do you know that?' And you know what I'll have to tell him? 'Well, Lance, because I'm dating Keith and he told me.'"

Shiro hit the brakes a little too hard, making everyone in the car lurch forward. He twisted around to look at the two in the backseat, unsure if he'd really heard their conversation correctly. "Wait, _what?_ "

"Oh, yeah, hey," Pidge said in realization. "Shiro, I'm dating your brother."

"We're together now," Keith said at the same time.

Shiro looked between them as if trying to figure out a particularly tricky puzzle. He opened and shut his mouth several times, deliberating on what to say, and settled for: "Do our parents know?"

"Of course," Pidge said, as if it was obvious. "They even got us a 'congrats on not killing each other' cake after our first date."

Keith nodded. "It was good cake. You missed out."

"Such good cake," Pidge echoed.

Shiro looked to Allura for assistance, still not able to believe what he was hearing.

Allura giggled sweetly and patted his hand. "I know it's hard to believe, but they're telling the truth. Also, the light is green."

Shiro quickly turned his attention back to the road, staunchly refusing to glance at the grinning duo in the backseat. After a few minutes passed, he dared to ask another question. "So what's going on with Hunk and Lance?"

Pidge and Keith groaned in unison.

"Hunk has a crush on Lance, and Lance has a crush on Hunk," Allura filled him in.

"So what's the problem?" Shiro asked.

"They're morons," Keith muttered.

Pidge gently nudged him with her elbow, a disapproving smile on her face. "Maybe we should start at the beginning?" (Keith shrugged and Pidge took that as the go-ahead to continue.) "Last year, the engineering and programming classes had a joint final project. Hunk was my assigned partner for it. I must have mentioned Lance a few times while we were working, and Lance eventually got curious about who I was talking to all the time. Long story short, a few months and I find out the cute boy Lance keeps talking about is actually Hunk."

"It wouldn't be so bad if they'd just talk to each other, but Hunk gets quiet just at the thought of it," Keith said.

"Lance is just as bad. I've seen him flirt his way through most of the female population at school, but the second Hunk's nearby? Dead quiet. They're both driving us crazy," Pidge concluded.

Shiro frowned. "There has to be something you haven't tried yet. What about arranging a blind date? Or a double date?"

"We've tried that," Pidge said. "Lance makes excuses to not go. Apparently no one could ever match up to Hunk."

"Hunk worries himself sick and always has to cancel," Keith said.

Pidge sighed. "I'm still hoping one of them gets over their nerves before prom. Maybe I _should_ tell Lance we're dating and that I can't go with him. Then he'll have to find someone else to ask. Someone like Hu— _why are you shaking your head?_ "

Keith hesitated, not wanting to be the one to break the bad news to Pidge. "Hunk may have already asked Shay to prom..."

Pidge gaped at him for a full five seconds. "What the fuck, Keith?!"

"Language," Shiro said, unable to help himself.

Pidge cast an annoyed glance in his direction before refocusing her eyes on her boyfriend. "Sorry, Shiro. What I meant was: what the _quiznak_ , Keith?!"

Allura couldn't stop herself from giggling at the word. It was one of Mr. Coran's substitution words for unsavory language, which he'd told the class was something he and his best friend had invented when they were young.

"Why would Hunk ask Shay? No, forget that. Why didn't you tell me sooner? We had a plan!" Pidge paused to rethink her words. "Okay, we had most of a plan."

"We had an idea to write fake notes to drop in their lockers, which is just as drastic as our other idea to lock them in a small room together," Keith said. "Anyway, I think it's more that Shay asked him. He's the only one her parents trust enough to take her. Look, I'll think of a new plan. I have an idea. I just need to work on it."

Shiro slowed down and pulled off onto a side road without any issue from the driver trying to tailgate him.

Pidge wasn't at all convinced by Keith's explanation, but she was wiling to let it slide. It wasn't the first time one of their ideas didn't pan out, and it wouldn't be the last. Setting up their stubborn best friends was turning out to be a bigger challenge than either of them had anticipated.

Which reminded her...

She leaned over close to Keith and lowered her voice, well aware that Shiro and Allura were still listening to them. "So I found something interesting that might help with our summer plans. It looks way more legit than the last video we found."

Keith leaned in as well, looking interested by the news. "Do they give the location? How far is it?"

"Maybe two hours from here," Pidge responded.

"That close..."

Shiro cast a curious glance in the rear-view mirror and raised an eyebrow at how close they were. It was such a far cry from the last time he saw them only a few months before, when they could barely stand being in the same house together. Suddenly they were chatting as though they'd been friends for years and Shiro suspected if they weren't buckled in, they'd be sitting pressed against each other.

"Cute, aren't they?" Allura said. "I couldn't believe it when they told me. Actually, I thought they were trying to play some sort of prank. But here they are, planning out the best place to hunt—which one was it again? Bigfoot or the Yeti?"

Pidge looked up so fast she nearly collided foreheads with Keith. "Neither of them are even around here!"

"And they're the same thing," Keith added.

There was a noticeable pause as Pidge slowly turned back to Keith, her brown eyes wide with disbelief. "I'm sorry, what? _Did you just say Bigfoot and the Yeti are the same thing?_ "

Keith looked smug as he leaned back in his seat, meeting her gaze with ease. "Obviously it's the same creature. Its fur changes to white when it lives in colder climates or during winter."

Pidge let out a strangled groan of frustration. "No. Just no. They're a _completely_ different species! First, that's suggesting that it's migratory and there's no way a creature of that size could travel thousands of miles across open space without being seen, never mind across oceans!"

"It could if there's more than one," Keith challenged. He grinned at the look of pure outrage on Pidge's face. "Katie, I'm joking."

Pidge loudly exhaled, closing her eyes as she released the mixture of emotions she'd been building up. There was the click of a seat belt being released and then Keith scooted over and wrapped an arm around her.

"Jerk," she mumbled, leaning into him.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," Keith said softly.

"And?" Pidge pressed.

"And you're the best genius girlfriend in the whole world?" Keith guessed.

Pidge tilted her head back to look up at him for a moment and then nodded, snuggling back up against him, where she remained for the rest of the drive.

.

* * *

.

Keith and Pidge ran upstairs the moment they entered the house, both laughing when they overheard Shiro confirm with their parents that they were dating.

"I'm sensing a distinct lack of trust in us," Pidge joked as they entered her room.

"Can't really blame him," Keith replied. "Five months ago, would you have believed it if someone told you we'd be together?"

"I would've called them crazy." Pidge dropped her backpack on the floor near her desk and indicated for Keith to do the same before she sat down on the edge of her bed.

Once he put down his own bag, Keith joined her.

"So, we have ten minutes before my mom sends Allura and Shiro up to check on us. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Pidge asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Hell yeah," Keith breathed. "Show me that footage."

Pidge grinned and reached back to grab her laptop from where she'd left it on the bed. She pulled it onto her lap and booted it up, leaning into Keith while they waited. "I found it last night. I couldn't sleep, so I figured I'd do a little more research into our mystery creature. It was posted around two last night and I managed to save it before it was taken down at two-seventeen. Which either means it's a hoax and whoever posted it is trying to get more attention, or someone had it removed because they don't want anyone to know about it. Either way, I didn't want to immediately dismiss this one after watching it."

"Wait, is this the one the forums have been arguing about all day?" Keith asked.

Pidge shrugged as she logged on. "Maybe? I haven't been on since last night. I didn't want to deal with all of the drama." She began to look through her folders, grinning triumphantly when she found what she was looking for. "I hope you're ready for this."

It was as the two were leaning close together to get a clear look at the screen, that Matt walked by the room. He glanced in, curious about the voices he heard, and then doubled back and stopped as the scene before his eyes registered in his mind.

He stood there a moment, watching as his sister and Keith quietly talked, pointing to things on the laptop screen. There was no animosity. No yelling. No glaring. Just the two of them, looking remarkably cuddly.

Matt retreated downstairs, more than a little bewildered by what he'd seen. He entered the kitchen, where everyone else had gathered and cleared his throat. "Has anyone else noticed something weird going on with Katie and Keith?"

His mom, Colleen, looked up in alarm. "They're not fighting again, are they?"

"What? No," Matt said with a frown. "That'd be _normal_ , mom. They're both upstairs in Katie's room and they're... getting... along... You're smiling." He looked around. "You're all smiling. What am I missing?"

"They're dating," Shiro spoke up from the table, where he sat with Allura and his parents.

"You're joking."

"He's not," Allura said. "They've been together since the end of February."

Matt was rendered speechless. Slowly, he moved toward an unoccupied chair and sat down.

Shiro reached over and patted him on the shoulder in a gesture of comfort. At least he wasn't the only one left in the dark in regards to their younger siblings.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lance happily belly-flopped on his comfortable bed and buried his face in his pillow, taking a moment to de-stress after another long day at school. He didn't want to think about homework (even if it was only to review stuff for exams) or classes or college in the fall or anything like that. All he needed was a moment to _breathe._

He turned his head to face his bedside table, where two framed photographs rested. One was of him and his family from their last big family vacation. The other was of him and Pidge from their freshman year, just after she chopped off her long hair for the shorter style she continued to maintain. They'd taken more since then, but that one remained his favorite.

Lance sighed as his thoughts turned to his crush, as they did more and more as of late. He'd thought it was a passing thing at first; another moment of noticing someone and entertaining the thought of dating them, before his attention was inevitably drawn to someone else. He hadn't even _considered_ telling Pidge about it until three months had passed and his daydreams of _holding Hunk's hand_ still had butterflies fluttering around in his stomach.

It was terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

For the first time, he had no idea what he was doing. He couldn't approach Hunk like he did everyone else. Hunk deserved something more special than his usual cheesy pick-up lines. And he couldn't bring himself to ask Pidge (or anyone else) for help, no matter how many times she offered.

Lance rolled over on his back and stared up at the ceiling. One thing was for certain: _he was running out of time._

 _._

* * *

 _._

 _One Year Before_

 _(Junior Year, May)_

"I told you, it's for my progra—look, we'll be done soon. And then we can hang out whenever you want, okay?" Pidge said, sounding exasperated.

Lance crossed his arms over his chest, looking none-too-happy about what was happening. "So who's this 'Hunk' guy you have to work with? Is he one of those awful car guys who rev their engines in the parking lots all the time? 'cuz I hate those guys."

"He's not one of those guys," Pidge assured him. "Hunk's... kind of sweet, actually. And a better partner for this project than I could have dreamed of. Except he keeps bringing food and getting crumbs all over my notes. You'd like him, Lance. He loves to cook, and you love to eat! It's a match made in heaven."

"Ha ha," Lance said dryly. "I'll have you know that I have standards, and I only love _good_ food."

"Well then, you're in luck. His food is some of the best I've ever eaten," Pidge teased. "But seriously, it's only two more weeks and then we present our project. After that, I'm all yours."

"Aww," Lance batted his eyelashes.

Pidge rolled her eyes and gently shoved him. As she did that, she caught sight of someone over his shoulder and lifted her hand in a small wave.

Lance righted himself as he turned to look and see who she was waving to. He'd assumed it was Allura until he saw the dark hair and yellow shirt of a boy in their grade, just before he vanished around the corner. It took him a moment to process that Pidge was waving to the best friend of Keith Shirogane, her personal nemesis. (And to a lesser degree, Lance's number one rival in everything.)

"That's Hunk," Pidge explained.

Lance looked flabbergasted. "Really? _Mullet's_ friend? Hes the one who's your partner? And you haven't complained about him once! Well, aside from the crumbs on your notes thing. And... _AND_ you have the nerve to suggest that's we're—what was it you said? Soul mates?"

"A match made in heaven."

"Same thing!" Lance made a show out of reaching out to touch her forehead with the back of his hand. "Are you feeling alright?"

Pidge brushed his hand aside. "Quit that. I'm fine. Now lets get to class before you make us late again."

"Hey! Last time was _your_ fault, not mine!"

.

* * *

.

Lance didn't think much about Hunk as he threw all of his energy and focus into studying for final exams. Every now and then, he'd catch a glimpse of the other boy from the corner of his eyes, but there was always something (or someone) there to distract him. It was only months later, as summer vacation waned and everything became preparing for going back to school, that he had a dream.

It wasn't something he was unfamiliar with. Lance had had a lot of dreams about a lot of people.

Pidge was in most of them. Usually she was just hanging around, making sarcastic comments or being the single voice of reason in an otherwise bizarre and confusing world. Which, if he was being honest, wasn't all that different from how she was in real life.

Allura had been in a few. At first, those dream had been of a more romantic nature, but as time wore on and his crush faded, she became just a friendly face featured in his dreams.

Then there had been that one involving Keith... He preferred not to think about that one. (Keith may have been his eternal rival, but he was _pretty_ , okay? Lance was comfortable admitting that much.)

His dream about Hunk hadn't been so different from any of those.

Except he had it again the next night. And then another a few nights later. And then another and another, until he found himself dwelling on those dreams during the day.

By the time they began their senior year of high school, Lance was nursing the tiniest bit of a crush on a boy he'd never spoken to. It was something small and manageable and he knew better than to try and pursue it. His crushes never lasted and he wasn't going to try and start something that would only cause problems.

Lance spent three months trying to convince himself he didn't actually like Hunk. All the while, his dreams persisted, occasionally crossing over into daydreams that left him dazed and distracted during class.

"Lance," Pidge whispered, poking her friend with the eraser end of her pencil. She got no response, so she spoke his name a little louder. "Lance."

He lifted his head and blinked blearily, chasing away the fog filling his mind. "Huh?"

Pidge raised an eyebrow. "Is everything okay? You've been way more of a space case than usual."

"Uh, yeah. Yup. I'm good. Why wouldn't I be okay? I'm great!" Lance rambled, avoiding meeting her eyes. "Where were we again? Question five?"

"Three," Pidge corrected. She set down her pencil and stared at Lance. Keeping her voice low, she said: "Are you sure nothing's bothering you? You can tell me, you know that, right?"

Lance flashed her a grin. "Of course! Are we going to finish this or what?"

Pidge stared at him for a moment longer and then sighed and went along with him. If he wasn't ready to talk, she wasn't going to force it.

.

* * *

.

Two days later, in the middle of decimating Pidge in a round of their favorite video game ( _Defenders of the Universe_ ), Lance took her up on her offer to talk.

"I have a crush on Hunk and it's all your fault."

Pidge went from hunched over, glaring at the screen, furiously punching at the buttons on her controller, to sitting up and staring at Lance in shock, controller gripped loosely in her hands. "I... _what?_ Wait, Hunk as in Hunk Garret? Who was my partner last year? _Keith's_ friend? How is that my fault?!"

Lance continued to play, never once looking away from the screen. "Well, y'know. You were all like 'Hunk's a great partner! You'd love him, Lance!' And... and have you _seen_ him? He's gorgeous! How could I not? Okay, and I know I've never actually talked to him, but I've heard him talk! In class and stuff. And _wow_ , what a voice..."

Pidge's expression softened from disbelief to understanding. "I could introduce you, if you'd like."

"No!" Lance blurted out in mild panic. "I mean, uh, nah. I got this! Besides, it's just a dumb crush. We don't need to make a big deal about it."

"Maybe, but I've never seen you get like this over anyone. Not even Allura." Pidge made a half-hearted attempt at sniping Lance's character, but fell off the wall she was perched on instead. She scowled at the screen, her fingers rapidly tapping buttons in an attempt to recover.

Lance quietly sniped her the moment her head rose back over the wall.

Pidge sulked while waiting for her respawn period to end. "If you change your mind, let me know. It doesn't even have to be a 'Hey, Hunk, I've got a friend who _really_ likes you!' sort of thing. We can play it cool. Like, 'Hey, Hunk, wanna hang out with me and my best friend?' See? Completely covert."

"Yeah..." Lance murmured. "Thanks, Pidge."

She smiled. "Anytime."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I hope everyone is enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it! This chapter marks the halfway point through this fic.

 **Chapter 3**

Keith looked up at the sound of someone knocking on his door and saw Shiro standing there. He sat up and stretched his arms up over his head, wincing at the cracking sound his bones made after laying still for so long on his bed. He pushed his papers and books aside to make room for his brother.

"So you and Katie, huh?" Shiro remarked as he walked inside. He curiously glanced at Keith's open window, which let in a pleasantly cool breeze. It also allowed a good view of the house right next door. "I never thought I'd see the day when you two would get along."

"Is it really that weird to you?" Keith asked.

Shiro eased himself onto the edge of Keith's bed, trying not to jostle his schoolwork too much. "A little. It's a good weird, though. You've got to remember, the last time Matt and I were home was back in winter when the two of you started a food fight during Christmas dinner."

" _Katie_ started the food fight," Keith corrected.

Shiro raised an eyebrow.

Keith sighed. "And I went along with it. And ruined dinner."

"Ruined is a bit of a strong word."

"I threw a handful of peas at Mr. Holt," Keith reminded him.

"And Katie threw mashed potatoes at mom. Luckily, they both thought it was funny," Shiro said. "But seriously, Matt and I thought you two were going to kill each other before the new year. We even considered holding an intervention. So to come back and find you not only getting along, but dating as well? It's a little concerning."

Keith furrowed his brow in confusion. "You're worried about us?"

"I'm just trying to understand how this happened," Shiro explained. "Is it just because the two of you are working together on this Hunk and Lance thing or-?"

"No," Keith bluntly interrupted. "It's more than that. I really like her, Shiro. Maybe we started out like that—just working together to try and help our friends—but it's different now. I don't know how to explain it." He looked away and fell quiet, uncomfortable trying to express his feelings, even to Shiro.

Shiro let his posture relax. He recognized the signs of his little brother trying to retreat from their conversation and knew not to keep pressing. "So, have you got any plans for the summer."

He did, but he wasn't sure how much he should tell Shiro about them. Keith knew he and Katie would have to tell _someone_ about their plans, but it'd be better to wait until they had a better idea of exactly where they were going. He settled for the vague answer: "A few."

"Do... do you think you could find time in your busy schedule to come see the apartment I'm renting?"

Keith frowned. "But I thought you and Matt were staying in the dorms for another year. You two get tired of being roommates?" He watched his brother shake his head and started to realize he was witnessing something he rarely got to see.

 _Shiro was nervous._

Shiro took a deep breath in and then slowly let it out. "I'm going to ask Allura to move in with me."

Keith quickly sat up a little straighter, his blue-violet eyes wide in surprise. "You're—wait, you're serious? Already?"

"We've been together for two years. Is it really that much of a shock?" Shiro looked worried. "Maybe you're right. It is a little soon. We've only talked about it once or twice, but it was only a possibility for the future. She's probably already gone to look into dorms..."

"Even if she has, it doesn't mean she's already requested one. What if she's waiting to see if you'll ask? Just talk to her about it. See what she has to say," Keith suggested.

Shiro nodded, looking a little more sure of his choice. "Yeah, I will." He stood and made his way to the door, where he paused. "Hey, Keith, one more question?"

"Sure."

"You're not taking anyone to prom, right? Since Katie is going with Lance?" He asked, just to double-check.

Keith scowled at the reminder. "That's right."

"Allura's really pushing for the school to make an exception so I can take her, but I don't think they're going to budge on the age restrictions. Would you take her for me? I know she's been looking forward to going, otherwise I wouldn't ask."

"I..." Keith almost said 'no'. It just sounded like a bad idea. But Allura was his friend, and while it'd be awkward, at least they could keep each other company. "Alright, Shiro, I'll ask your girlfriend to prom. Since _my_ girlfriend is going with her best friend, because he and _my_ best friend are too chicken to talk to each other!" He threw up his hands in exasperation. "Senior year sure is great!"

Shiro chuckled as he walked away.

Once his brother was gone, Keith flopped back down on his bed and rearranged his study notes until they were they way he had them before. He stared at the pages without really reading any of the words for a few long minutes before giving up and reaching over to grab his phone to send a short message to Katie.

 _Just had an interesting talk with Shiro._

It didn't take long before he received a text back.

From: Katie | Probably not as interesting as the one I'm having with Lance over skype right now. Currently: "We should perform the cha cha slide at prom"

Keith chuckled. _Sounds entertaining. Hey, quick question: what are the odds I could convince Lance to ask Allura to prom instead of you?_

From: Katie | Alarmingly high. Do not recommend.

From: Katie | I thought she was going with Shiro. Did something happen?

 _Just the usual. Shiro's over the age limitation and not even Allura has the influence to get the school to change its mind. He just asked me if I wouldn't mind taking her._

It took Katie a few minutes to reply. In the mean time, Keith read over his notes and scribbled a few additions in the margins of the paper.

From: Katie | Awkward.

From: Katie | Speaking of, Lance keeps asking why I keep looking at my phone and smiling. I'm tempted to tell him I'm texting Hunk. Just to see him freak out.

 _Better yet, tell him you're texting your boyfriend._

He could hear the sudden bark of Katie's laughter through his open window. Keith sat back up and was amused to find she'd done the same with hers. For a moment he toyed with the idea of getting up to stand at his window and make weird faces until she or Lance noticed. Either that or he could write rude signs and hold them up.

From: Katie | He'd never believe that for a second.

 _Secret boyfriend._

From: Katie | Even less believable, however true.

 _It's still not too late to come clean and tell them. Though at this point even Hunk would think we're faking it just to get them together._ Keith sent the message and then thought of a good addition, which he quickly typed up. _Why are our friends so dumb?_

From: Katie | I've asked myself that every day since third grade and I still don't have the answer. Also, we'll have to at least tell them by summer. Because it's just a matter of time before Lance finds out I plan on spending part of vacation camping with you in the woods of Galra County, searching for a giant purple monster-cat

 _I almost told Shiro about that earlier. I figured I should wait until we actually plan out what we're doing._

From: Katie | He probably would handle it better than anyone else.

 _Or we tell no one and just fill them in after the fact._

From: Katie | And mom thinks YOU'RE the good influence of the two of us. She has no idea you're the rebellious one.

 _That's me. The rebel._

From: Katie | Lance is now annoyed that I'm spending more time texting than I am talking to him. I've gotten a whole string of frowny faces in chat. I think he's sulking.

 _I'll let you go, but I have one last thing to tell you._

From: Katie | Okay, what is it?

 _Shiro's going to ask Allura to move in with him._

The shriek of surprise from the next house over made Keith grin. He tossed his phone aside and refused to answer any of the texts sent to him. Every buzz of the device brought him closer and closer to giving in to laughter, knowing the lack of response was driving his girlfriend crazy.

It took Katie a grand total of five minutes before she shouted: "I'll help you form a conga line the day you ask Hunk on a date! Now _goodbye_ , Lance!"

Minutes later, he heard the front door open, a confused murmur from his dad, and the sound of footsteps racing up the stairs before Katie appeared in his doorway, her face flushed and her hair looking surprisingly unkempt.

"You!" She gasped.

"Me," Keith agreed.

"You can't just _text_ that to a person and then not respond!" Pidge crossed the room and joined him on the bed, looking more excited and out of breath than angry. "So it's finally happening?"

Keith nodded. "Before the fall. He already has a place picked out."

Pidge smiled. "Allura's going to be so happy! She didn't look at all that thrilled when she was talking about the girls dorms at Galaxy U. I haven't even bothered looking into them for myself since then. Not even the co-ed." She sighed. "Talking about it with Lance is near impossible. We've always talked about how cool it'd be to be roommates, but he's so convinced he won't get accepted anywhere and keeps changing the subject! What about you and Hunk?"

"Hunk's cousin suggested a place. It's off campus, but they offer specifically to students. Decent price, decent lodgings. I think we're going to go for it," Keith said with a shrug. "I can get the number for you, if you're interested."

"Absolutely! Imagine if the four of us end up living in the same building," Pidge said excitedly.

"At least then we'd have more time to sneak around and try and get those two to talk."

Pidge groaned in despair. "Oh no, don't say that. I don't actually _like_ hiding the fact that we're dating, you know. What we need is an end date for this. A deadline. And at the end of that, whether we've succeeded or not, we tell everyone."

Keith thought for a moment. "Prom?"

"Sounds good to me," Pidge agreed. "Now, we just need to come up with an idea... Do you have anything new?"

"No, not..." Keith cut his sentence short as a thought came to him. It was sneaky and more than a little underhanded, but they _were_ getting desperate. "I think I have something, but it's more of a last resort sort of thing."

Pidge eyed him with suspicion. "It doesn't involve any kind of closet, does it?"

Keith chuckled. "No closet, but it might take some time to set up. In the mean time, if you have any ideas..."

"Not yet, but I'll think of something," Pidge said confidently.

With that settled, the two ignored the papers strewn about the bed to get in a little cuddle time.

.

* * *

.

Later, after Pidge headed back across the lawn to her house, Keith cleaned up the paperwork strewn across his bed and thought back to the first time he'd really taken notice of his girlfriend. It hadn't changed his mind about hating her at the time; it was simply a glimpse of the girl he would one day come to care so much for.

.

* * *

.

 **-10 Years Earlier-**

Keith knew the signs.

The way conversations went quiet or abruptly ended when he walked into the room. The way the adults would greet him with such sweetness in their voice before sending him off to play. The frequent phone calls.

It wasn't the first time he'd been relocated to a new foster home.

Well, he wasn't going to stick around where he wasn't wanted.

He waited until the sun had set and then put his plan into action, packing a small bag with the few things he felt comfortable with calling his own, along with the bit of food he'd smuggled into "his" room over the week.

When he was sure no one was paying attention, Keith sneaked downstairs, slid open one of the unlocked windows, and climbed out into the darkness.

The grass felt strangely comforting beneath his bare feet.

Shouldering his small bag, he set out across the lawn, keeping away from well-lit areas the best he could. It was as he crossed over into the Holt's property—the shortest distance to the forest (a patch of trees)—that things began to go awry for him.

"Are you running away?" A high-pitched voice cut through the silent air.

Keith startled so badly he nearly dropped his bag. Readjusting his grip, he spun around in search of the owner of the voice. That was when he spotted Katie Holt in her pajamas, sitting on the picnic table in her yard, holding a squirming puppy.

He scowled at her. "Mind your own business!"

Katie just looked at him. No judgment. No glares. "You shouldn't run away. That would make people sad."

Keith scoffed and started walking away. "No one would be sad. They don't want me, so I'm leaving."

"That's dumb." Katie lowered her gaze to the puppy in her arms. "Shiro would be sad. And if he's sad, then Matt's sad. And then I will be too. So you shouldn't run away."

Keith slowed to a stop and then turned to look at her again. "You'd... you'd really be sad?"

"I guess," Katie said with a shrug.

He thought hard for a moment, awkwardly shuffling his feet in the grass. A full autumn moon hung suspended in the sky, bathing everything in pale light. Katie seemed to glow, like some sort of strange, ethereal creature.

Keith looked down at the ground, a fierce debate waging in his mind. After a few intense minutes, he came to a decision. "Just so you know, I'm not staying because of you!"

"Good," she replied, hopping up from the picnic table. Without another word, she walked back into her own house.

Keith stood there for a moment longer, midway between his house and the trees (which looked more foreboding than he initially thought), and then turned and went back the way he came.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Hunk could always tell when Keith was trying to hide something from him.

While his best friend had never been one to verbally express himself, there had always been a clear distinction between Keith not wanting to talk and Keith deliberately keeping something hidden.

Normally, Hunk was content with letting things lie – Keith would tell him when he was ready – except he'd been acting oddly for a few months and there was only so much Hunk could handle before his curiosity started to get the best of him. He _had_ to know what was going on.

He'd assumed, at first, that it had something to do with their rapidly approaching graduation. Everyone was feeling the stress of that, whether they showed it or not. Not even the knowledge of already been accepted at Galaxy University was enough to quell his own nerves.

It wasn't that.

There was something else bothering Keith.

Something of a more _romantic_ nature.

Hunk wasn't always the best on picking up subtle social cues or understanding who had a crush on who in his small social circles, but even he couldn't miss the looks his friend shot in Katie "Pidge" Holt's direction when he thought no one was paying attention.

If Hunk didn't know the two had grown up hating each other with a burning passion, he probably would have thought it was cute. (Had he not been partnered with Pidge the year before, Hunk never would have known just how bad it was on both sides. He still counted himself lucky that neither of them tried to involve him.) He supposed it gave the whole thing a more tragic element to it, like some old romance his mom liked to watch. And while that was fun in stories or television dramas, it wasn't so great in real life.

Hunk would know. He was in a similar, yet completely different predicament.

He could only watch in bemusement as Keith leaned against the row of lockers outside of their first period class and waited for Pidge to walk by so he could catch her eye and wink. In return, she would scowl and make some threatening gesture.

 _It had been the same song and dance for two months._

"Oh man, one of these days she's going to kill you," Hunk said, worry coating his voice.

Keith shrugged as he pushed away from the lockers. "She won't. She secretly likes it."

"Uh huh." Hunk rolled his eyes at the obvious lie. "I'm not covering for you when she snaps. And I hope I'm there when it happens, just so I can say 'I told you so'."

"Just wait. At prom, I'm going to ask her to dance," Keith said.

Hunk laughed. He couldn't help it.

Keith raised an eyebrow. "You don't think I can do it?"

"No, no, I think you're crazy enough to ask her," Hunk replied, sounding amused. "There's no was she's going to dance with you. You know it. I know it. The _entire school_ knows it."

"Want to bet on it?"

Hunk ignored the warning bells going off in his head. "How much?"

"Not money," Keith said. "If I can get her to dance with me, _you_ have to ask Lance to dance."

The whole thing was ludicrous. There was no way she would ever agree to dance with Keith, even if he was the last man left on earth. It was a safe bet to take.

And yet...

Just the thought of dancing with Lance had his cheeks warming and a nervous, fluttery feeling filling his gut. On the off chance that Keith was successful, would he be able to find the courage to ask?

"Deal," Hunk agreed, holding out his hand to seal the deal before he could really think it through.

Keith grinned as he shook his hand. "Deal."

.

* * *

.

Why?

 _Why_ did he make that bet?

It had to be the _dumbest_ mistake he'd ever made.

It didn't matter that Keith had a one-in-a-million chance at succeeding, there was still that slim possibility that Hunk wold end up making a giant fool of himself in front of his peers. Because really, there was no way _Lance McClain_ had any interest in someone like him.

Hunk was going to be sick.

He was legitimately going to throw up.

He couldn't do it. There was no way. He was having a panic attack just _thinking_ about it. He reached for his phone, fully intent on sending Keith a message to cancel the bet, when it buzzed to life in his hand, alerting him to a new message.

Hunk opened the text to see two pictures of Shay, who wore a loose, flowing dress in a stunning shade of yellow-gold which perfectly complimented her darker skin tone. In one her hijab was a shade more orange than yellow and lightly decorated with sparkly, diamond-shaped sequins. In the other, she wore one that was a plain white. It was hard to tell from the picture, but he was pretty sure it was actually the shimmery, silver one she'd told him about the week before.

From: Shay | Which do you like better?

He studied the images for a moment, carefully considering each one before making a decision. _I like the orange, but what about that white one with the daisies? That would be pretty too._

It took Shay a few minutes to respond, but when she did it was with a new picture of her wearing the mentioned hijab.

From: Shay | I like it, but maybe it's too casual?

 _Maybe? I still think it's pretty, but it's up to you. You should wear whichever one you like best!_

She sent him back a smiley face, which had him smiling at his phone.

There wasn't a day that went by where he didn't count himself lucky to have a girl like Shay in his life. They'd only known each other for a year and a half, and had dated for three months, but she was still one of his closest friends. He didn't know what he'd do without her.

As he continued his walk home, Hunk deliberated on whether or not to trouble her with his current predicament. On the one hand, she was his ex and probably didn't want to hear him talk about his crush on Lance. On the other hand, she was his ex and would likely have much better advice for him than Keith "never-dated-a-person-in-his-life" Shirogane.

 _Can I ask for some advice? You can say no if you want, I just need a little help with something._

From: Shay | Of course! I will help in anyway I can!

Hunk took a deep breath and began typing, glancing up on occasion to make sure he wasn't going to walk into anyone or anything. _I made a really dumb bet with Keith and I don't think I can go through with my part if he wins. Should I call it off?_

His phone rang nearly a minute later and he fumbled to answer it, receiving an odd look from a woman walking her tiny dog. "H-hello?"

" _Is everything okay, Hunk?"_ Shay's sweet voice came through the speaker, only slightly distorted. _"It's not like you to do something so impulsive."_

"I'm okay. I promise," Hunk tried to reassure her. "It's... it's really dumb. Keith was talking about how he could get Pi—um, his crush to dance with him at prom and then I told him that there was no way she'll agree to it, so then he bet me that if she _does_ say yes, I have to ask Lance to dance with me and I agreed because there's no way he can convince her, but _now I'm freaking out and_ —!"

" _HUNK!"_ Shay shouted to snap him out of it. _"Hunk, please, calm down before you have a panic attack. Just breathe for me, okay? Relax and breathe."_

"Okay," Hunk agreed, trying his best to do as she instructed. He slowed down walking and focused on taking deep, even breaths. It helped a little.

" _Still with me?"_ Shay asked. She wasn't the least bit condescending about it.

Hunk nodded, though he was well aware that she couldn't see him. "Uh huh. I'm here. I'm okay now."

" _I don't think you have anything to worry about. Even if you do lose the bet with Keith, Lance is super nice. He's not going to make a scene if you ask him to dance. And you never know, he may say yes."_

Her words didn't make him feel better, as he hoped they would. "I don't want him to dance with me out of pity."

" _What? Hunk, that's not—!"_ Shay sighed loudly. _"Would it really be so crazy if he said yes because he likes you too?"_

"Yes."

Lance was tall and handsome and outgoing. He could have any girl – any person – in the school that he wanted, so why would he ever agree to dance with someone like Hunk? There was no way. He was so far out of his league that he may as well have been in another galaxy.

" _I normally don't encourage this sort of thing, but don't back out of this bet,"_ Shay told him. _"You can do this. I know you can."_

"Okay..." Hunk reluctantly agreed. His stomach churned in protest. "Hey, Shay? Thanks."

" _You're welcome."_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Pidge stared at her reflection in her full body mirror and adjusted the floral headband in her hair for a seventh time. She wore a high neck dress in dark green, which flowed just past her knees. It was sleeveless and had a diamond-shaped cutout above the chest, which on anyone else would show the slightest hint of cleavage.

"This is as good as it's going to get," she muttered to herself. After one last look over, she walked across the room and opened the door, only to find her path blocked by Allura.

Pidge took a moment to admire the floor-length gown her friend was wearing. At first glance it appeared that there were no sleeves holding it up, but as she looked closely she could see the sheer lace of the halter neck, carefully attached to the light pink satin of her dress, which split down the middle and opened to reveal a layer of powder blue underneath. She looked like a fairytale princess come to life.

"Um, I think you're in the wrong house, Allura. Shiro and Keith are next door," Pidge joked.

"I know that! I came over to help you with your makeup!" Without waiting for a reply, Allura pushed her way into Pidge's room.

"Makeup?" Pidge repeated with a sense of dread. "I really don't think that's necessary. I'm fine just like this! Besides, I already have some on."

Allura turned and carefully scrutinized her face. "Hmm... nope. Regular face care and powder doesn't count!"

Pidge groaned.

Allura rolled her eyes. "Will you relax? I'm not going to do anything crazy. Just a little mascara and eyeshadow. Maybe some blush... eyeliner... lipstick..." She began pulling new packages of the mentioned items from her purse and set them on a corner of Pidge's bed, along with a set of brushes.

"You know I'm never going to use those again, right?" Pidge asked.

"We'll see," Allura said with a smile. "Now sit so I can get to work! When I'm done with you, Keith won't be able to keep his eyes off of you!"

"Might be a problem, since he's going with you."

Allura pulled over the chair from Pidge's desk and forced her to sit in it before she began arranging products in order of use. "I'll make sure he saves a dance or two for you. I'll even take one for the team and let Lance dace with me as a distraction." She picked up the eyeliner and opened it. "Now hold still while I work my magic."

.

* * *

.

Pidge held still for an agonizing twenty minutes, though not without plenty of complaining about Allura trying to poke out her eyes. She mostly did it to annoy her friend. It felt a little strange having someone else touch her face, but it wasn't completely unpleasant. And she had to admit, Allura did an amazing job, applying just enough to be noticeable.

Allura left soon after she finished her work, with the promise to get Keith to leave before Lance arrived to pick her up. The two of them were getting a ride from Shiro, who had insisted on dropping them off. He'd also be picking all of them up afterward, as long as everything went according to plan.

Pidge spent a few more minutes in her room, waiting for Lance to arrive. When she got tired of standing there, she gathered up her wallet, house keys, and phone into a small, black purse, and walked downstairs to deal with her family.

"Aww, sis, you look so cute!" Matt teased the moment she stepped into the living room.

Pidge paused, staring blankly at her brother, and then turned to walk away. "Nope. Waiting outside now."

Matt laughed as she got up and steered her back into the room. "Don't be like that, Katie. Mom wants a picture to commemorate this moment!"

"Could we _not_ do the embarrassing family routine?" Pidge begged. "It's just a dance and I'm only going with Lance. It's not that big of a deal."

"It's senior prom, sweet pea," Sam Holt said from his seat on the couch. "It kind of is a big deal."

"Our little girl, all grown up!" Colleen chimed in, pretending to wipe away a tear.

Pidge groaned in despair. _Why_ was her family so weird?

"It seems like only yesterday that our little Katie was running around bare n–"

The doorbell rang, cutting off the end of Sam's sentence.

"Thank you, Lance!" Pidge whispered under her breath. She fled the room, practically running for the front door. She yanked it open and, without even greeting her date, called over her shoulder: "It's Lance! We're going! Bye!"

"Have fun!" Colleen yelled back.

"Go! Go!" Pidge hissed, physically turning Lance around and pushing him back towards the car, where his sister, Marie, waited.

Lance let her push him along, trying not to laugh at the silliness of the situation. He was more than used to the antics of the Holt family and knew, just as well as she did, that if they lingered too long, one of them would come out and play up the Embarrassing Family Routine for the entire neighborhood to see.

That didn't mean he couldn't tease her about it a little.

"Hey, Pidge, mind if I run to the bathroom first? It's just such a long drive..." He glanced down and caught sight of her death glare. He gulped and quickly backpedaled. "Or not. Okay, definitely not. It was a joke? Ha ha? Pidge? My dearest best friend? Whom I love?" Lance looked at her hopefully, still letting her push him toward the car. "Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight? Because your beauty outshines even the brightest star!"

Pidge snorted in amusement and Lance was able to relax. If she was laughing, that was a good sign. "Right. Why don't you save your lines for someone else. Someone like, let's say... Hunk?"

"Pidge!" Lance's voice came out as an undignified squeak. "Could we, maybe, _not_ mention that in front of Marie? I mean, she's supportive and all about me liking boys _and_ girls, but I'm not ready for my entire family to interrogate me about him..."

"I won't say a word, but if we're not in that car and leaving in ten seconds, Matt _will_ come out here and do the protective big brother thing. Again. And then we'll be dealing with your whole family thinking we're dating. _Again_."

Lance opened the door for her. "It might be a little late for that."

What followed was one of the most awkward car rides Pidge had ever been subjected to. And that was saying something, considering the number of years she spent carpooling with Keith! It seemed the simple act of going to prom together was enough to reignite the belief that she and Lance were dating, no matter how many times they insisted they were just friends.

While Lance groaned and whined about his sister's teasing, Pidge stared out the window and only answered questions when directly addressed. She had a million other things on her mind to worry about, the most pressing of which was: _what was Keith's plan?_

Her boyfriend hadn't breathed a word of it to her and the deadline was swiftly approaching. Either he was that confident that it would work, or he didn't actually have a plan and was just hoping for the best. It left Pidge pondering the best way to get the keys to one of the janitor closets and, from there, how to trick Lance and Hunk into going inside.

Somehow it still felt like the better choice than just bluntly telling Lance about Hunk's crush on him, and vice versa.

"Almost there, you two," Marie told them. "What time is it over? I'll come pick you up."

"We already have a ride home," Pidge blurted out before Lance could get through more than a syllable. She could feel his curious eyes on her. "Shiro volunteered, since he's picking up Keith and Allura anyway. I think the plan is to get food afterward."

Marie smiled. "That's nice of him. Are you sure he won't mind driving Lance home? It's a little out of the way."

"It's fine," Pidge waved off her concern. "Lance could always crash at my place if Shiro isn't up for it. It's fine," she repeated to Lance in undertone. "I think Shiro's hoping that by inviting you, I'll be less likely to fight with Keith? Or maybe Keith will be less likely to pick a fight with me?" She shrugged. "At least we'll get food out of it."

"I'm not going to change your mind even if I say 'no'," Lance said knowingly. "Anyone else I should be expecting on this trip?"

"No."

Lance was immediately suspicious of how quick her reply was. He narrowed his eyes. "Pidge, is there _anyone_ else?"

"No," she responded a little more firmly. "Not unless Matt tags along with Shiro. Let's hope he doesn't."

Lance grinned. "What, tired of the teasing already? He's only been home for a week? A week and a half?"

"Do you really want to sit through another round of _so-what-are-your-intentions-with-my-baby-sister_? Because that's all that will be happening. Along with Shiro and Allura encouraging him and Keith being an ass," Pidge said bluntly. Out of habit, she apologized to Marie for her language.

Marie waved off the apology with a laugh. "I've lived in an all-girls dorm for four years. The sort of things that get said there would make even Lance's hair curl!"

Lance reflexively patted his hair, as if the very mention of it curling would cause it to rebel.

"Alright, here's your stop!" Marie announced as she pulled over to drop them off. "Have fun, be safe, and call me if you need a ride. You have a cellphone. That's what it's for."

Pidge thanked her for the ride before sliding out of the car. She wobbled slightly as she found her footing in the slight heels she wore and smoothed out her dress to rid it of the wrinkles that appeared on the ride over.

Lance followed soon after, a deep blush visible even on his darker skin. He couldn't quite meet her eyes as he offered up his arm to escort her to the gym.

"More unwanted advice from Marie?" Pidge guessed, accepting his arm.

"Trust me, _you don't want to know_ ," Lance told her.

Pidge silently agreed and together they joined the flow of seniors making their way from the drop-off spot to the dance.

.

* * *

.

Two hours.

It'd been two hours and Pidge had only caught glimpses of Keith and Allura through the crowd of other students. She'd had a brief moment to greet Shay (looking gorgeous in her gold gown and hijab) and Hunk (very handsome in his matching tuxedo and neatly brushed hair), while Lance was off getting drinks, but for the most part it'd just been the pair of them. Which was fun, but there wasn't much of prom left and they had a _deadline._

Pidge was seriously regretting leaving the plan entirely to Keith.

"Is everything okay?" Lance asked, worry in his eyes. "Need another drink?"

"Uh, no. No, I'm okay," Pidge said, peering almost frantically around the gymnasium. At last, she spotted Allura moving towards them with a determined expression on her face, Keith nowhere in sight. As she watched, Allura gestured towards one of the side doors.

"Are you su-"

"Actually, I'm going to get some air," Pidge hastily interrupted, pulling away from him. "Be back in a few!"

Lance watched in confusion as his friend vanished into the crowd, her short stature working in her favor for once. He was shuffling away from the designated dance floor, so he wouldn't be in the way, when Allura caught up to him.

"It seems we've both lost our dates," she joked. "Care for a dance?"

"With you, beautiful? Anytime," Lance replied smoothly. He was pleasantly surprised when she smiled instead of rolling her eyes, as she normally did. He was more than happy to let her pull him back onto the dance floor.

.

* * *

.

Pidge stepped outside into the humid, early June air with only one goal in mind: find Keith.

It didn't take long at all to spot him standing off to one side, leaning against the makeshift, metal fencing as he stared up at the night sky. She slowly made her way over to join him.

"So how's that plan going?" she asked.

"The plan's fine..." Keith's words died in his throat the moment he turned to look at her. He looked her up and down as he struggled to compose himself. "Katie, you look... you look incredible."

Pidge blushed at the compliment and gently leaned into him. Heat radiated off of him, even through the suit he wore. "You too. I mean, you look nice. Handsome." She could feel her cheeks heat up even more and knew her face was turning cherry red. She sneaked a glance at him and was stunned to find him in a similar state.

Keith cleared his throat. "Katie, would you like to dance?"

Pidge's heart pounded loudly in her ears. It was a moment she'd only dared to dream of. Agreeing to dance with Keith was the same as announcing to their entire graduating class that they were dating. It was the end of the road.

She didn't hesitate in the slightest in taking Keith's hand. "I'd like that."

.

* * *

.

"So you had to come with Keith, huh? That must suck," Lance remarked.

"It's not so bad. I would have loved it if Shiro was able to attend, but the rules are there for a reason," Allura said with a disappointed sigh. "I'm glad Keith asked me. I imagine it would have been quite lonely without him. He's better company than you think."

Lance wasn't convinced. "If you say so. Where is he anyway? What kind of date just goes off and abandons his partner?"

"He needed some air," Allura explained. "He'll be back—oh! There he is now! And he has Katie with him."

"What?!" Lance turned around and frantically scanned the crowd for his best friend. He wouldn't be much help if he couldn't find her to bail her out of whatever scene she was likely about to be a part of.

And then he spotted her.

Holding hands with Keith.

Smiling.

Dancing?

Lance's brain briefly short-circuited. "Wait, _what?!_ "

Allura's expression was wistful as she watched Keith pull Pidge a little closer, a soft smile on his face as he gazed down at her. "It's good to see them like this."

"Am... am I missing something?" Lance asked incredulously, unable to take his eyes off the unexpected pair. "Last I checked, they couldn't stand being in the same room as each other! Did I wake up in some weird alternate universe or something? Maybe I'm dreaming. Hey, Allura, could you pinch me _really_ hard?" He tore his gaze away to look at Allura pleadingly.

"I'm not going to do that," Allura said gently. "Tonight's a special night. Anything can happen." She brushed against his arm as she stepped aside, giving him a clear view of Hunk approaching them. " _Anything._ "

Lance's first instinct was to turn and run. He wasn't prepared for anything that was happening. He wasn't sure if it was Allura physically holding him there or if it was something in Hunk's expression that had him unable to move, but there he stood, rooted to that spot, hardly daring to breathe in fear of breaking whatever spell had fallen over the them.

Time slowed to a crawl as Hunk stopped in front of him.

"Uh, hi?" Lance greeted eloquently.

"H-hello..." Hunk lowered his eyes, appearing to have an intense mental debate with himself. It took Allura pointedly clearing her throat and a quick look at Keith and Pidge, who were still dancing close, before he could look back at Lance. "Would you like to dance? With me?"

Lance's heart swelled with hope so swiftly he thought for sure it was about to burst free of his chest.

Hunk Garrett was asking him to dance.

 _Hunk Garrett_ was asking _him_ to dance!

Lance nodded eagerly, unable to find his voice for several agonizingly long seconds. When he did find it, it came out as an excited whisper: "Yes!"

A brilliant smile broke out across Hunk's face and it was like all of the worries, the fear, the tension, that had built up between them bit-by-bit over the past year came crashing down all at once, unearthing something tender and new.

All they were aware of was each other. It was all that mattered.

Lance slid his hands into Hunk's and let him take the lead in a slow dance.


	6. Chapter 6

This is it. The last chapter.  
I want to thank everyone who liked this fic and a special thank you to everyone who left a review. You guys are the reason I got chapters out so quickly! There's something really cheering about waking up to a new message on the first thing I've really enjoyed working on in almost a year.  
I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

Pidge looped her arms around Keith's neck as they swayed comfortably to the music. She knew she was sporting a goofy smile, but as Keith was having a very similar reaction to being able to dance together, she couldn't bring herself to care about how dopey she must look to her peers. She was determined to enjoy the moment for however long it lasted.

"This is nice," Pidge murmured. "Us, like this. Not worrying about who sees us or what people might think." Her smiled slipped a little. "I guess if we have to admit defeat, this is at least a nice way of doing it."

Keith chuckled. "Who says we're admitting defeat? There's still plenty of prom left."

"It's almost ten-thirty," Pidge pointed out. "Any minute, Shiro will message Allura to tell her he's on the way. And then what? I can't _force_ Lance to get into the van. And not just because he can easily pick me up and stop me! He's just..." She let her head fall gently on Keith's shoulder as they slowed down. "I wish I knew what to do. I'm so used to having all of the answers or at least being able to figure it out. But this? This is impossible."

Keith was silent for a moment. "You know, everyone thought getting you and I to get along would be an impossible task. Even Shiro and Matt would have called it a challenge just to get us to be _civil_ to each other. But look at us now."

Pidge looked up and met his eyes, taken aback by his optimism.

"It's not impossible," Keith said. "Sometimes, all it takes is a little nudge in the right direction." He carefully turned them around, leaving Pidge with a clear view past him of Hunk and Lance as they (awkwardly) danced together.

Pidge's jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. "But how? How did you do it?"

"I made a bet with Hunk. I told him if I could get you to agree to dance with me, he had to ask Lance for a dance too," Keith explained, sounding immeasurably proud of himself.

Pidge stared at him in awe for a few more seconds before her expression morphed into one more of fond amusement. She quirked up one eyebrow. "A _gentle nudge_ , huh?"

Keith shrugged. "Okay, so it's more like I shoved him into a pit with only one way to go. It _worked,_ didn't it?"

As amusing as it all was, Pidge had to admit she was genuinely impressed. All of their other attempts had involved too many variables; there was so much that could have – and did – go wrong. Keith's success was because he relied on only two things happening: her agreeing to dance and the knowledge that Hunk was a man of his word.

"Huh..."

"Something wrong?" Keith asked.

Pidge shook her head. "Just realizing that I'm in love with an evil genius."

Her heartbeat pounded to life in her ears following that statement. She could feel her cheeks reddening as Keith came to a complete stop and stared at her. For one heart-stopping moment, she thought he might pull away, but instead he readjusted his hands on her waist, closing the distance between them as he lightly kissed her on the lips.

The contact only lasted a few seconds before he withdrew and quietly whispered: "Well, I'm in love with an _actual_ genius, so I might have you beat."

The admission had Pidge grinning giddily as she eagerly pulled him down for another, much longer, kiss.

.

* * *

.

"I can't believe you danced with _Keith_ ," Lance complained as he and Pidge sneaked around behind the curtains of the DJ booth. "And you kissed him! What gives, Pidge? You guys have hated each other since forever!"

"Shut up before you get us caught!" Pidge snapped in return, keeping her voice low. "Can we not talk about this now? Lets get through our prank and I promise we'll tell you guys everything!"

She had hoped Lance's euphoria over dancing with Hunk would have kept him on Cloud Nine for a little longer, but obviously she wasn't that lucky. Pidge wondered if Keith was having better luck with Hunk, or if he too was busy playing twenty questions. At least he had Allura to lend a hand.

Lance crouched down next to her. "So can you do it?"

Pidge scrutinized the different cables that ran across the floor and up into the booth in an uncoordinated jumble. "Maybe if you would give me a minute to – _aha!_ Here, help me with this!"

It took the two a few minutes of precision unplugging and re-plugging, but soon the two were quickly and quietly absconding from the restricted area and congratulating each other on a successful mission.

"And now, to put it into motion!" Pidge gleefully withdrew a small device from her purse and held it out toward Lance. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Lance was more than happy to take it from her. "This is the best senior prank ever!" he declared. And then he pushed the button.

.

* * *

.

"So how many times did it play before anyone was able to stop it?" Shiro asked, sounding amused.

After declaring their prank a brilliant success, the five teens had left prom, unable to contain their laughter over watching the staff scramble to help the DJ get their song off choice to stop repeating. They all piled into Shiro's van and told him all about their night on their journey to UHOP, which was one of the only places still open at that time of night.

They had been seated quickly, sliding into one of the large booths located in the corner. Shiro and Allura were trapped together in the center, while Hunk and Lance took up the space to Shiro's right, and Pidge and Keith sat to Allura's left.

Pidge was too busy laughing at Shiro's question, but Lance was more than happy to carry on in her place. "We heard it four times before you got there. When we left, it was _still going_. And Pidge set it to loop endlessly, so it'll just go until they unplug everything!"

Hunk chuckled. "I still can't believe you two Rick Roll'd our prom. Everyone's going to talk about it for years."

"Well after they took away all of our cool stuff for senior week, we knew we had to do something," Lance said. "I had the idea, but Pidge is the true brains behind it!"

Pidge raised her glass in salute, her laughter having mostly died down.

Allura was still giggling. "I still can't get over the look on Coran's face when it started playing a second time. I hope it lives on forever in my memory."

"I bet if you asked him nicely, he'd reenact the moment for you," Keith joked.

Allura looked as though she was actually considering it.

"Okay, okay, our prank was cool and all, but how about we talk about the _real_ story of prom," Lance said, looking square at Pidge and Keith. "What the _quiznak_ is going on between you two?"

"What do you mean?" Pidge asked, purposefully playing dumb.

Lance inhaled deeply, preparing to go off on a long-winded spiel about how he could always tell when she wasn't being truthful with him, but Hunk beat him to it.

"You're dating," he said, sounding astonished. "But then... then that means..."

Keith realized his friend was struggling to get his words in order and decided to lend him some help. "It means I knew Katie would agree to a dance, and that I also knew Lance wouldn't turn you down."

"We've been working together since January to try and get you two together," Pidge explained. "We didn't think coming right out and telling you would work out very well, so we tried other things."

Lance had the look of someone who was finally fitting all of the pieces of a particularly tricky puzzle in place. "Wait, so all of those blind dates... and the double dates..."

Pidge nodded. "And just when we thought we had both of you convinced, you both backed out. _On the same day_. Honestly, there was a period of about a week where we were sure you guys had caught on and were just messing with us. It would have been funny, actually, if you two were trying to get us together at the same time."

Hunk frowned. "You said since January, so is that how long you've been dating? Or was it before then?"

"It was after that. Sometime in February," Keith said.

"So basically, Hunk and I are the reason you two started dating?" Lance asked.

"Partly," Pidge admitted.

Keith shrugged. "Mostly."

Allura looked at them curiously. "You know, neither of you ever told me exactly how you started dating, just that you grew close while playing matchmaker." She got twin blank stares in return and huffed in frustration. "There's got to be more to the story than that! How did it _really_ happen?"

"I'm with Allura," Lance spoke up. "How did you go from not being able to stand each other to deciding to date?"

"We weren't fighting at the time and we got along pretty well while we were working together. Then we found out we have some similar interests and from there it just sort of... happened," Pidge said.

Keith stretched his arm out behind her, letting her tuck in close and comfortable by his side.

"That is the _least_ romantic thing you've ever told me," Lance informed his friend.

"This coming from the one who couldn't find the courage to ask out the boy he likes? Oh no, you're not allowed to comment on my love life!" Pidge exclaimed.

Lance avoided everyone's gaze by staring down at his menu, pretending to peruse it in search of something he wanted to eat. As he'd already announced his choice the moment they hopped out of the van, his act wasn't fulling anyone.

Hunk reached over and laid his hand over top of Lance's, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Actually, Lance asked me to go see a movie."

Lance lifted his head, excited by the reminder. "I did do that. Ha, see! I did ask Hunk out!"

"Only after he asked you to dance! That doesn't count!" Pidge retorted.

"Alright, _enough_ , you two," Shiro ordered before their bickering could escalate. To his relief, he was further backed up by their server as she approached the table with notepad in hand.

Even after that, all arguments fell to the wayside as the six enjoyed good food and each others company.

.

* * *

.

The grass felt strangely comforting under his bare feet as he made his way across the lawn. Keith's eyes were focused solely on the old picnic table in the Holt's backyard, where a lone figure sat with her face turned toward the starry sky.

"Are you running away?" Pidge's voice rang out clear between them, tinged with amusement. She lowered her eyes from the sky to smile in his direction.

"Depends. Are you going to come with me?" Keith asked in reply. He stepped up onto the picnic table and sat down next to her.

Pidge laughed. "It's tempting. Is it mean that I think we deserve a vacation away from our friends?"

"Well, there _is_ our camping trip in two weeks," Keith pointed out.

Pidge was torn. On the one hand, they were _actually_ going out somewhere to search for their local cryptid, which was a dream come true. On the other hand, it meant being outside under the bright summer sun, dealing with bugs and allergies and the _outdoors_ for at least three days. She wasn't a person meant for outdoor living.

Keith read her expression easily and chuckled. "Don't worry. It won't be that bad."

"Well it won't be a vacation," Pidge grumbled. "And that's easy for you to say. You actually like all that camping stuff. Can't I just – I dunno – stay in the car the whole time? You can go out and run wild and free in the woods and I'll just sit there in the car and do research."

"Do research?" Keith repeated, sounding amused. "With no internet?"

Pidge crossed her arms over her chest and sulked.

It wasn't the first time they'd had that conversation. It would not be the last.

"So, do you think they've remembered our bedrooms are directly across from each other?" Keith asked, changing the subject.

"Undoubtedly," Pidge replied. "We should probably get back inside and pry them away if we want to get any sleep tonight."

Keith nonchalantly wrapped an arm around her. "In a minute. Let's just enjoy the peace and quiet for now."

Pidge hummed as she snuggled against him. She had no qualms with spending a few extra minutes with her boyfriend.

"I love you, Katie Holt," Keith whispered.

Pidge pulled away so she could meet his eyes. With one hand, she gently caressed his face. "I love you too, Keith Shirogane," she whispered, leaning in for a kiss.

.

* * *

.

-Earlier That Year, February 13-

It wasn't the first time one of their planning days ran a little over time. Keith really had meant to go home once night fell, but then Pidge started to go off on some convoluted plan involving help from Allura and some other friends and he had to talk her down before she could get too carried away with it. Before either of them knew it, it was nearly eleven – the time Pidge's parents were supposed to arrive home.

"Ugh," Pidge groaned, falling backwards on her bed. "Maybe you're right. We _should_ just lock them in a room together until they talk. I bet I could hack into the elevator. That always works in movies, right?"

"But how would we get them both into the elevator? The second Hunk sees Lance, there's no way he's going in there," Keith said.

There was the sound of the front door shutting and quiet voices downstairs.

Pidge sat up with a start. "Did you hear that? _Shit_ , what time is it?" A glance at her bedside alarm showed the time to be just before eleven. She exchanged a panicked look with Keith when they heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

She cursed under her breath as she debated what to do. If her parents came into her room and saw Keith, they were screwed. Everyone would know they were getting along and then there would be no escape from joint family events.

Keith enjoyed watching her quietly panic right up until the moment she decided the best course of action to take was to shove him off the back of her bed, so he was sandwiched between it and the wall.

"Katie?" Colleen called out in concern, knocking on the door. "Are you still awake?"

"Y-yeah, mom! Just getting ready for bed!" Pidge replied.

"Alright. Sweet dreams, honey!"

Pidge didn't relax until she heard her mom's footsteps retreat to the other end of the hall. "Okay, Keith. It's safe now."

There was no response.

Pidge frowned and leaned over the front of her bed, hanging upside down to try and see what he was doing under her bed. She was greeted by the sight of nothing but empty space. "Keith?"

"What is this?"

Pidge pulled herself back up straight as she felt his weight settle beside her on the bed. There was the obvious rustle of paper as he started unfolding something.

"A map?" Keith raised an eyebrow.

A heated wave of embarrassment flooded Pidge's system as she realized what he'd found. She glared at him, reaching over to take it back from him. She couldn't let him see it. If Keith found out what she was researching, he'd _never_ stop teasing her for it. "It's none of your business, Shirogane! Give it back!"

Keith easily held it out of her reach, though he did have to use one hand to hold her back from lunging across him. He shook it open to try and get a better look. "So we're back to last names, Holt?"

Pidge scowled. "We wouldn't be if you weren't such a dick!"

Keith rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the map. He instantly recognized the area, having spent many hours meticulously going over data and marking precise points on his own map. What was startling, was that Pidge's map shared many of those same points – perhaps all the same. Except...

"Give me a pen," Keith demanded.

" _Excuse me?"_ Pidge angrily hissed. "Why should I give you anything?"

Keith really hoped he was right about what the map was for. The last thing he needed was for Pidge to have something new to hold against him. "You're missing a few places. They're newer, so maybe you haven't had time to add them, but there was one sighting on the southeastern edge of the forest, two in the north, just into Arus, and another on the western border."

Pidge stared at him, her eyes wide.

Keith's stomach twisted uncomfortably. He was so sure he'd just messed up. Any second, she'd demand to know what he meant by "sighting" and even if he refused to tell her the truth, she was smart enough to figure it out on her own.

Pidge tore her eyes away to lean over and rummage through the drawer of her bedside table. When she straightened up, she had three different pens in her hand. "Show me," she demanded.

Keith nodded and laid down the map, smoothing it out on the bed. "Okay, so the one in the southeast is the newest rumor. The post didn't have an exact location, just a general area of about five miles."

Pidge handed over her black pen.

Keith carefully circled an area of the forest, growing a little more confident as she scooted over next to him, her eyes focused intently on the map. He cleared his throat, praying he wouldn't start to blush at her proximity. She really was very pretty when she wasn't glaring at him.

"You said it was spotted in Arus?" Pidge asked.

Keith nodded. "Here," he said, pointing to the northernmost tip of Galra Forest, where it crossed over from Galra County into Arus County. "The first sighting was last month and the most recent one was a week ago, around here." He moved his finger over slightly.

"That's about a ten mile difference..." Pidge murmured, handing over a green pen. "What about the last one? You said it was to the west? That's the closest it's ever come to us."

"It's also the most disputed sighting," Keith said. "The forum is still arguing about the authenticity, since it's so far from its usual range. I'd go in and argue that the whole forest is within its range, but that's not good enough for _some_ people."

Pidge rolled her eyes. "That commander guy is an asshole. He's just there to stir up dissent. I try not to pay attention to anything he has to say."

"Neither do I, but there are some who still take him seriously. It makes it harder to have reasonable discussions with the whole group," Keith said with a sigh. "It just figures that my usual discussion partner hasn't been on in over a month. Not that I blame them after the way Commander Asshole went after them."

Pidge jerked her head up in surprise. "You're not... _you're_ RedPaladin!"

"Yeah, but how did you-? Wait, you're Gunderson?" Keith's jaw dropped at the revelation.

For a moment, all they could do was stare at each other in shock. And then Keith began to laugh. Pidge soon joined him, covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle the noise. Her shoulders shook from the effort of trying to hold it back.

The two soon collected themselves and some time was spent having an enjoyable conversation about their theories on the Galra Forest Cat Monster. Before they knew it, an hour had gone by.

It took a low buzz from Pidge's phone as she received a message for them to take a break and realize the time.

"After midnight. I should get home," Keith said reluctantly.

"Oh, um, if you want. It's not like we have school tomorrow," Pidge replied, grabbing her phone from where it had been hidden beneath her pillow. She unlocked it to see a new message from Lance.

From: Lance | Happy Valentines Day to the best girl friend ever!

Pidge snorted at the deliberate separation of "girl" and "friend". She quickly sent back a message: _Happy Valentines day, Lance._ She then tossed her phone aside.

She had forgotten what day it was. Pidge couldn't help but feel there was some karmic force at work, for her and Keith to push past their truce to actually build a friendship on _Valentines Day_ , of all days.

"Something funny?" Keith asked as he stood up.

Pidge shrugged as she busied herself with refolding the map. "Lance just reminded me it's now Valentines Day, is all."

"Huh." Keith was silent for a moment, staring at her with an unreadable expression. Then he stepped forward, took one of her hands in his own, and bowed his head to place a soft kiss on her knuckles. "Goodnight, Katie," he quietly said.

Then he released her hand, turned, and left.

Pidge stared at the space he'd occupied for a long time, trying to calm her racing heart.

.

* * *

THE END

* * *

.

This fic is now completed, but I'm not done with this universe yet.  
This is not the end.


End file.
